Want to know the secret to booking more first-time appointments with new prospects? It might surprise you!

In the recent Media Sales Report, we learned 93% of sales managers agree that salespeople should be averaging 4+ calls per week. However, 40% of sales managers believe that their salespeople are missing the mark at only 2 to 3 calls per week. 

Add to this the finding that 85% feel that appointments with prospects are harder to secure today than they were 5 years ago, and this leads us to the secret to booking more appointments.

Get More Meetings with Prospects

While closing deals is often the most emphasized part of selling, you never get this opportunity without first landing the appointment. What is the secret to booking more appointments with prospects?

Stop being consumed with booking appointments and start focusing on making connections!

Don't put so much emphasis on the first appointment being a 30- or 60-minute needs analysis. Instead consider all the other options to engage a prospect, for example:

• Send them a link to a video case study using one of the business tools that allow you to see when they viewed the link.
• Ask for a 15-minute shared-screen call to share a proven solution that has worked for others in their situation.
• Invite them to attend a function in town with you to hear a local business speaker.

Starting conversations with prospects and making connections is the most crucial part of boosting your success in sales. Your pipeline is more important than the number of appointments you have! So, focus on what it takes to move a prospect into your pipeline, which is realizing that an appointment is just one possibility as a way to start the process.

The Activity Needed Depends on Two Things

The status of the pipeline is the most reliable indicator of future success, not the amount of activity. However, appointments are necessary to build your pipeline and if you’re going to focus on activity, note that the level of activity one of your sellers’ needs is a function of two things:

• Where they are in relation to the company goal
• What their pipeline looks like

How and When to Focus on Activity  

If a seller on your team is 90% to the new business goal in March and the rest of the team is at 50%, and this same seller has $500,000 in their pipeline, their activity should be focused on closing the deals in their pipeline and serving and upselling the accounts they recently sold.

If another seller is at 25% of their new business goal in March, while the team is at 50% and their pipeline is weak, and they need to have a lot of new business activity for the next few months.

The Importance of Your Sales Pipeline

A sales pipeline is important because it provides sales managers with details such as:

• How long an opportunity has been open
• Estimated close date
• General information on the prospective company

A sales rep’s activity helps create and drive the pipeline and provides managers with a true understanding of what’s happening within the business. In other words, activity is an integral part of the pipeline because the more opportunities in your pipeline, the more likely you are to reach or exceed your revenue goals.

But you can’t rely on a simple hello and the exchanging of business cards to bring in sales and book an appointment. You must start a conversation, make a good first impression, and make a connection. Through connections, you can easily provide value to your prospect by understanding their problems and delivering relevant solutions – ultimately leading to a booked appointment.